Heart's Surrender by Rosanne Bittner

2020 reread
I still absolutely love this heartbreaking and breath-stealing story! One thing that stood out for me more this time was how Adam saw and loved Andrea. (and vice versa) The words and actions he poured out over her melted me over and over again. Their deep abiding and intense love carried them through some heavy times, which made their love story all the more beautiful.

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Original review

What an epic, beautiful, heart grabbing story written by Rosanne Bittner! I had a feeling this would be an intense story, and I was not wrong. I learned more about the Trail of Tears (such a tragedy), than I knew before and I was sucked onto the story that fully brought history to life. Lots of twists, but such a fulfilling ending. Definitely not a story to be missed. 

Lawman in the High Lonesome by Rosanne Bittner

Like the enthralling rugged beauty of the Outlaw Trail, Lawman in the High Lonesome provides a breath-catching journey through tragedies and triumphs.

I loved experiencing the depth and breadth of emotions and adoration shown from both Matt and Elly with their families and then towards each other. They both had heavy burdens of grief they were healing from, and together they were able help with that healing. Elly needed someone who would desire her for more than just a helpmate - need and love her for herself, and Matt needed someone he could protect and cherish - and to stand up to him and beside him. Their gut-deep attraction and connection kept pulling them back together, and circumstances allowed for them both to be willing to dive in and take a chance on the other and not let a good thing get away.

I loved how the whole world came to life around me, both in the vast wild-west setting and in the variety of supporting characters. Wisdom and love from Matt's mother, villainous surprises from the bad guys, kindness and sweetness from the trio of prostitutes, the devotion from Elly's best friend - it all weaves together to deliver an engrossing story that you don't want to have end.

This was just the kind of epic, sweep-me-off-my-feet historical western romance story I've been needing to escape into. And yet again, another Rosanne Bittner story has found it's way to my favorite shelf.

Some favorite quotes:

God simply chose you to be one of His avenging angels rather than a preacher. You were never meant to be docile and forgiving. You’re a good person, Matt, but the way you go about it is different from your father.

She just wanted to be a full woman again, loved simply for who she was, faults and all. Just loved.

Life could be so damn cruel. If things were different, a woman like Elly would have been the perfect answer to his loneliness. He knew instinctively he could fall in love with a woman like that.

Well, I know from experience that a woman can get under a man’s skin and create an itch that drives him crazy.

She loved watching him do anything. There was such a masculine sureness about him. She felt so safe.

Longing for a Cowboy Christmas anthology

April 2020, reread of Christmas in Paradise by Rosanne Bittner - revisited Paradise Valley in preparation for Rosanne Bittner's newest book coming soon that will have Sage Lightfoot appearing in it.

And I still gotta say, Sage and Maggie's story is still a favorite one.
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This is a wonderful collection of Christmas short stories - each one giving a couple hour dose of a feel-good story to snuggle up with. I totally read this book out of order, going first with the stories I was looking forward to the most and working my way through the rest, and not being disappointed in any of them!

Christmas in Paradise by Rosanne Bittner
I was so thrilled when I found out we were getting more of Sage and Maggie from Paradise Valley (one of my favorite RB books)! I had faith going in I'd love the follow up to their story, and I wasn't disappointed. Sage is still all protective of Maggie, and patient with her as she's settling into her spot as his wife. He knows he's got a treasure in her and makes sure she knows it deep down. Maggie is still as sweet, determined, and strong, as much as she's vulnerable and struggles with some insecurities. But Sage won't let those fears keep their grip on her. Loved the touch of adventure and drama, and the beauty of their Christmas miracle, both in seeing them settled, and in seeing their happily-ever-after come full circle. Honestly, this just made me want even more of their story, and I'd love to see a sequel novel someday for Sage and Maggie and their family.

A Christmas Wedding by Linda Broday

Christmas in Hope's Crossing, pouring out good on people who deserve all the good they can get! Loved getting to know Rebel even more, watching her big heart dig deep to find joy and spread it around. And then Travis finally getting the new start he needed and finding his way home again to wrap his family up in his protective arms and shower them with love. Add in some breath-catching moments and some giggles along with a few tears, and you get a sweet addition to Linda Broday's Outlaw Mail Order Brides series. So glad that there's more coming for this town and hopefully we'll get to see more of Rebel and Travis in future stories.

Through the Storm by Amy Sandas
Through the Storm starts off with a sweet, slow burn that builds to an inferno, keeping you needing more. George is fully captivated by Lucy when he first meets her, and fate helps to bring her back to him. George is an interesting character with his charm and gentleman ways mixed in with outlaw edginess. Lucy is an adorable mix of sweet and capable, the best match for George! Loved watching the embers of their attraction grow into a steady burning flame. This story probably surprised me the most in how much I ended up enjoying it!

A Fairy Tale Christmas by Leigh Greenwood
This is a super sweet story of a man and a woman who both desperately need something the other can provide, but fears and plans and a touch of stubbornness get in the way. Nan desires a family with everything she has, but isn't willing to settle for less than what she deserves or wants. But she does know how to open her heart and grasp to what she is given. Will has a mapped out plan for his life, even if he's struggling with some of the consequences and hanging onto the past. Luckily, a winter storm, the love of a child, and some words of wisdom combine to grant dreams and love to three people who deserve their family and own special happily ever after.

A Love Letter to Santa by Margaret Brownley
Holly and Tom's story melted my heart with all the joy and goodness that Christmas can bring. Holly brought a smile and cheer to a town that was hurting, and wiggled her way into the heart of a man who was lost. Loved her heart and charm. Tom proved to be a man worthy of his Holly, and had a heart of gold as well. This story left me with a few tears but a heart overflowing with good. Definitely a Christmas story to experience! Also, despite being a short novella story, I felt like I got all the feels for a full length novel!

One Snowy Christmas Eve by Anna Schmidt
Evie and Collin's story is one of second chances, letting go of pride, and chasing down your hearts' desires. A little bit of fate stepped in to give them the opportunity needed to reflect on the past, where they're at now, and grasp hold of what they still want now. Toss in a little meddling and a leap of faith and you have a delightful Christmas blessing story! I loved how we got flash backs of their history, giving us a deeper sense of their connection and showing what was worth fighting for.

This is a collection of Christmas shorts not to be missed!!

View all my reviews

Wildest Dreams by Rosanne Bittner

Oct 2019 reread

It's been a few years since I last visited Wildest Dreams, and what started as a "read a few favorite scenes to get over a Rosanne Bittner hangover from reading Ride the High Lonesome" idea quickly changed to where I was lost in the story and had to keep going till the end. I had forgotten so much to where in some ways it felt like a new to me read, but at the same time, I felt the comfort of a long-lost friend.

Luke and Lettie's story remains high on my favorite shelf. There's just something about reading a couple's story where they fall in love and start building a family together from early on in the book and we get to experience their life together -- raising their family, surviving the tragedies, rejoicing in the triumphs, dreaming, pursuing, changing, growing.... living. There's such beauty in watching the bond deepen between Luke and Lettie through the decades and how that flows down to their children.

This family saga delivers what feels like a several book series into one volume - we get plenty of details and focused attention on events, but are also able to move forward through time smoothly and not feeling like anything was left out.

Wildest Dreams is an epic story that will sweep you away and consume your thoughts.

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2013 review

I'm loving that Rosanne Bittner is starting to put her older novels out in kindle format - and I hope she continues because she writes some of the best historical romance novels I've found! I only read a couple of her books way back when and it wasn't until this year that I rediscovered her and was thrilled to read Wildest Dreams!

One reviewer mentioned that this wasn't much of a romance novel - and I'd have to disagree. Yes, it isn't the typical story where most of the book is dedicated to the falling in love part and ends at the wedding with an epilogue glimpse into the future. You do get to experience the falling-in-love part, however, this book spends most of the time focusing on their lives from the wedding on - and the romance and how their love grows through the years. Trust me, the romance is there and honestly, I enjoy experiencing books where the story continues way past the wedding. That's where true love is forged in steel and where romance blooms to it's fullest. Luke and Lettie are two of my favorite RB characters and this book will always remain on my keeper shelf! How they work together to build their family and cattle-empire and what they face to make those dreams come true will keep you enthralled from the first sentence to the last page!

Ride the High Lonesome by Rosanne Bittner

Raw and poignant, Ride the High Lonesome seizes your attention from the start and keeps you spellbound until the end.

Fate intertwines Kate with Luke, at first simply for survival, and then as time goes on, as a peaceful solace to their hearts. In a time and place where surviving was a constant challenge, they provided motivation and strength to each other, quickly becoming the ideal match for each other. While both had a past that created mental wounds in desperate need of healing, that vulnerability left them open to the beauty they could find together. The trials encountered built the solid foundation and trust needed to heal and move forward, claiming the good out of life they both needed and desired.

I adored being there as Kate found her strength again, let go of her loneliness and fears, and settled into the love and security Luke provided. I think she's alot like most women out there - stronger and braver than she realized, and just needed the right encouragement and time to claim that for herself. I loved Luke's deep sense of honor, respect, protectiveness, and determination. He carried a heavy burden and had some dark demons messing with him, but he dug deep and didn't allow them to destroy the good he found in his Kate. Luke had his moments of larger-than-life virility, but it was perfectly woven in with moments of vulnerability and a touch of [make you wanna growl at him], keeping him real-to-life.

This story quickly became one of my top favorite Rosanne Bittner tales, with the emotional impact, epic story-telling, and the charm of an captivating love story. Bringing the wild vastness of Wyoming to life around me, I felt transported back in time and became lost in a different reality. I took my time reading this book just because I wanted to soak up every moment spent with Luke and Kate and didn't want it to end. And when it was over, after I took a few moments to soak it all in, I jumped back in to reread favorite parts... and I can't wait to revisit them again and again!

Sioux Splendor by Rosanne Bittner

It's interesting how a almost 30yr old story read 6 years after the first initial reading resonates so differently. Interesting how life experiences draw you to certain stories again and feed your readers heart with a whole new understanding.

I intimately experienced Cynthia and Red Wolf's soul deep attraction and connection and felt their pain at being ripped apart and trying to just keep surviving each day. And then the joyous REUNION where they discovered just how much they desperately needed the other.... Swept me away.

Loved this book now more than I did before.

It may be an older story, but it still captures attention yet today.



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2013 review
Cynthia and Red Wolf had much to overcome before they could get their hea. Loved how they finally connected - my heart broke when they were torn apart, and I loved watching them finally make it back to each other's arms. Another Native American story that I just loved!

Logan's Lady by Rosanne Bittner

Logan and Elizabeth's story is a giggle-filled, heart-melting, and nail-biting journey to get to their well deserved and much needed happily-ever-after.

Elizabeth had some growing up to do and life lessons to learn - and then add in the culture shock changes going from London to the wild west of America and she was definitely in over her head. She had an underlying strength to her that pulled her through all the situations she faced. My heart went out to her through the beginning struggles and then fell in love with Logan right along side her.

Logan had a larger-than-life feel to him, flowing off the pages with his physical presence, his control, his honor code, his protectiveness, his power, his charm, and his sense of humor. The demons chasing him worked to give him the inner determination to heal and built the foundation for him to become stronger than his crippling past. There's a reason women were drawn to him, and I was not immune to his power. Just Logan being perfectly Logan kept me coming back for more of the story and made me fall for him hard.

The only thing I wasn't a fan of was that it took till about 40% before Logan and Elizabeth even met each other. I understood the importance in us living out the back-story and following their journeys to each other, because that gave us the exact mindset they were in when they each were ready to finally find the other and were in desperate need of the other. And in fact, it was rather fun to realize what all decisions and actions had to take place in order to get a woman like Elizabeth across an ocean and into a situation where she fell under Logan's protection. Add in getting an intimate view of Logan's sense of honor and respect and understand why he'd respond the way he did to Elizabeth makes that lack of time together at the beginning worth it. Although, I still would have loved to have experienced more of Elizabeth learning new survival skills from Logan. What helped to make up for it for me besides how quickly they bonded together once they were together, was the epilogue at the end which jumped forward about a year and gave us a glimpse of their settled future.

Logan's Lady is an awesome story to spend a weekend being lost in. Definitely not one to miss if you're a fan of Rosanne Bittner and/or historical western stories.

*review updated today

Longing for a Cowboy Christmas - an anthology

This is a wonderful collection of Christmas short stories - each one giving a couple hour dose of a feel-good story to snuggle up with. I totally read this book out of order, going first with the stories I was looking forward to the most and working my way through the rest, and not being disappointed in any of them!

Christmas in Paradise by Rosanne Bittner
I was so thrilled when I found out we were getting more of Sage and Maggie from Paradise Valley (one of my favorite RB books)! I had faith going in I'd love the follow up to their story, and I wasn't disappointed. Sage is still all protective of Maggie, and patient with her as she's settling into her spot as his wife. He knows he's got a treasure in her and makes sure she knows it deep down. Maggie is still as sweet, determined, and strong, as much as she's vulnerable and struggles with some insecurities. But Sage won't let those fears keep their grip on her. Loved the touch of adventure and drama, and the beauty of their Christmas miracle, both in seeing them settled, and in seeing their happily-ever-after come full circle. Honestly, this just made me want even more of their story, and I'd love to see a sequel novel someday for Sage and Maggie and their family.

A Christmas Wedding by Linda Broday
Christmas in Hope's Crossing, pouring out good on people who deserve all the good they can get! Loved getting to know Rebel even more, watching her big heart dig deep to find joy and spread it around. And then Travis finally getting the new start he needed and finding his way home again to wrap his family up in his protective arms and shower them with love. Add in some breath-catching moments and some giggles along with a few tears, and you get a sweet addition to Linda Broday's Outlaw Mail Order Brides series. So glad that there's more coming for this town and hopefully we'll get to see more of Rebel and Travis in future stories.

Through the Storm by Amy Sandas
Through the Storm starts off with a sweet, slow burn that builds to an inferno, keeping you needing more. George is fully captivated by Lucy when he first meets her, and fate helps to bring her back to him. George is an interesting character with his charm and gentleman ways mixed in with outlaw edginess. Lucy is an adorable mix of sweet and capable, the best match for George! Loved watching the embers of their attraction grow into a steady burning flame. This story probably surprised me the most in how much I ended up enjoying it!

A Fairy Tale Christmas by Leigh Greenwood
This is a super sweet story of a man and a woman who both desperately need something the other can provide, but fears and plans and a touch of stubbornness get in the way. Nan desires a family with everything she has, but isn't willing to settle for less than what she deserves or wants. But she does know how to open her heart and grasp to what she is given. Will has a mapped out plan for his life, even if he's struggling with some of the consequences and hanging onto the past. Luckily, a winter storm, the love of a child, and some words of wisdom combine to grant dreams and love to three people who deserve their family and own special happily ever after.

A Love Letter to Santa by Margaret Brownley
Holly and Tom's story melted my heart with all the joy and goodness that Christmas can bring. Holly brought a smile and cheer to a town that was hurting, and wiggled her way into the heart of a man who was lost. Loved her heart and charm. Tom proved to be a man worthy of his Holly, and had a heart of gold as well. This story left me with a few tears but a heart overflowing with good. Definitely a Christmas story to experience! Also, despite being a short novella story, I felt like I got all the feels for a full length novel!

One Snowy Christmas Eve by Anna Schmidt
Evie and Collin's story is one of second chances, letting go of pride, and chasing down your hearts' desires. A little bit of fate stepped in to give them the opportunity needed to reflect on the past, where they're at now, and grasp hold of what they still want now. Toss in a little meddling and a leap of faith and you have a delightful Christmas blessing story! I loved how we got flash backs of their history, giving us a deeper sense of their connection and showing what was worth fighting for.

This is a collection of Christmas shorts not to be missed!!

Paradise Valley by Rosanne Bittner

Rosanne Bittner's long awaited return-to-publishing book just knocked my socks off!!! I've enjoyed all of her books I've read so far, and have numerous of them on my keeper shelves - where this one is now as well!!

I loved how Maggie was both strong but yet vulnerable. Sometimes the way she talked made her sound younger than what she was age wise, but her actions/thoughts the rest of the time made up for it. And I love how Sage interacted with her - was impressed by her spirit and strength, but at the same time knew she needed him to protect her.

I so enjoyed towards the end when the ex-wife showed up - I knew I would have reacted the same way Maggie did and I was glad to see how Sage dealt with his ex (I sure was hoping he'd do what he did!)

I'm so looking forward to reading more of RB's books - and hope that more and more of her older ones come out on kindle!

Logan's Lady by Rosanne Bittner

Logan and Elizabeth's story is a giggle-filled, heart-melting, and nail-biting journey to get to their well deserved and much needed happily-ever-after.

Elizabeth had some growing up to do and life lessons to learn - and then add in the culture shock changes going from London to the wild west of America and she was definitely in over her head. She had an underlying strength to her that pulled her through all the situations she faced. My heart went out to her through the beginning struggles and then fell in love with Logan right along side her.

Logan had a larger-than-life feel to him, flowing off the pages with his physical presence, his control, his honor code, his protectiveness, his power, his charm, and his sense of humor. The demons chasing him worked to give him the inner determination to heal and built the foundation for him to become stronger than his crippling past. There's a reason women were drawn to him, and I was not immune to his power. Just Logan being perfectly Logan kept me coming back for more of the story and made me fall for him hard.

The only thing I didn't really like was that it took till 40% before Logan and Elizabeth even met each other. I understood the importance in us living out the back-story and following their journeys to each other, because that gave us the exact mindset they were in when they each were ready to finally find the other and were in desperate need of the other. But I still would have loved to have spent more time with them together and experienced more of Elizabeth learning new survival skills from Logan. However, what helped to make up for it for me besides how quickly they bonded together once they were together, was the epilogue at the end which jumped forward about a year and gave us a glimpse of their settled future - which is a huge rarity in a RB story (in fact, I'm struggling to remember if she ever did a jump-forward epilogue before?!).

Logan's Lady is an awesome story to spend a weekend being lost in. Definitely not one to miss if you're a fan of Rosanne Bittner and/or historical western stories.

Embers of the Heart by Rosanne Bittner

Embers of the Heart is a beautifully epic and emotional read from the first page to the last! Be prepared for a roller-coaster ride of feelings when you dive into this story.

Besides delivering an enduring love story, it also teaches the power of love, acceptance, and forgiveness; how evil and hate can burn and destroy a person; and how the consequences and waves of war can continue to ripple and destroy long after the last bullet is fired.

Anna is a young woman who's struggling with facing how the rumblings of war affect her family, and ultimately the loss of her first husband. She shows incredible fortitude and inner strength holding herself together while living through the unknowns and questions of how to survive this time. Her faithfulness and love shine through. You can't help but cheer when doors are finally opened so she can claim her happily ever after with a perfect man for her - even knowing there's still some dark valleys they'll have to travel through.

Nate is exactly the honorable, devoted, strong hero Anna needs in her life. His respect of every facet of Anna showed clearly - even if he may have kinda grumbled about things, they were still the same things that drew him to her. His pursuit of her from beginning throughout their marriage was a thing of beauty. No, he wasn't the perfect man, and could be quite the stubborn fool at moments (neither was perfect - Anna also had her stubborn faults and fears), but he always found his way back to Anna's side, right where he belonged.

Even the secondary characters pull at you in ways - not always good, and not always bad... but they're not exempt from giving you moments to pause, think, and feel.

The amount of love the poured off the pages in the last several chapters stole my breath and made tears streak my face. There's a particular scene (don't worry, no spoilers) that just wrecked me in the rawness and painfulness. And the way Anna and Nate clung and hung onto each other during that time? Breath-stealing in its devotion and overwhelming beauty.

This is probably one of my favorite Rosanne Bittner stories -- where it holds you captive from beginning to end, and gifts you with so much more than a romantic tale, but nuggets of empathy and true love. This is not a book to skip over!

Lawless Love by Rosanne Bittner

November 2016 reread: still am so in love with Moss and his Mandy! Each reread draws me in tightly. Now that it's on my kindle, I have pages after passages after pages highlighted. So much good!!!

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This book is another one of my top favs that will always have a home on my keeper shelf.

I absolutely adored Mandy and Moss's story - even if a few times my being outside the story made me see things they couldn't and make me want to knock them both out and grrrr at them! :) But I think that's why I loved it so much, cause despite that, I couldn't help but fall in love with them and understood where their reactions came from and why they did what they did. Moss quickly became one of my favorite heroes - and Mandy reminded me a lot of myself. The strength of their love for each other poured off the pages and kept me enthralled from the first page to the last.

EEK! Update: This is available on Kindle now!! Can't wait to do (yet another) reread!!

Until Tomorrow by Rosanne Bittner

I rather have a weakness for tough outlaws who actually have soft hearts they're protecting, and know that a good woman is a treasure worth pursuing no matter the obstacles. Cole and Addy have quite the journey and fight on their hands to make their hea come true. But as any good love story goes, true love wins and helps heal the past.

Christmas in a Cowboy's Arms - anthology

A Chick-A-Dee Christmas by Rosanne Bittner
This was a great Christmas story, and actually for me it became the pretty red bow to tie up the Outlaw Hearts series with. So many smiles and sweet moments mixed in with the ever present dangerous adventure of being a part of the Hawkner family. I'm always gonna love Jake, Randy, and their family. This story warmed my heart and filled me up!

The Christmas Stranger by Linda Broday
Woohoo! We get to go back to the Lone Star Ranch!! The Men of Legend series is one of my favs of Linda Broday's stories and getting to get another little bit of time with them is always welcome. Hank and Sidalee's story overwhelmed me with feel good! Despite it's short length, this felt like a full length book and their hea was perfectly done. And gotta give some lovin' to Beau -- he kinda stole some scenes. 

A Texas Ranger For Christmas by Margaret Brownley
This is the first book I've read by MB and I'm impressed! Sadie and Cole's story swept me away with how simple and beautiful and heartfelt it was. This was another short story that managed to grab my attention and deliver the feel-goods and connection I need in my stories.

Father Christmas by Leigh Greenwood
Joe and Mary (haha, I'm ashamed to say how far I was into the story before I caught onto their names!) and Sarah's story totally sucked me in and gave me all the warm fuzzies I love to have. Plus good ol' Samson and the rest of the creatures made for awesome 2ndary characters. Sweet story and I'm looking forward to discovering more of Leigh Greenwood's books.


Working my way through the stories....

TBR:
A Christmas Reunion by Amy Sandas

A Christmas Baby by Anna Schmidt

The Last Outlaw - Rosanne Bittner

Outlaw Hearts book 4

Deep breath - wow!! What a story! The Last Outlaw stole my breath and wrecked my heart and mended it all and gifted it back to me better than before. This definitely is an intense, emotional, but yet beautiful and satisfying read.

Jake and Randy have been through so much, and this shows just how deep and strong their love for each other are, and how a deeply devoted relationship can carry the other through the toughest of situations. Jake has gown and changed for the better in his older years, and was finally able to find a way to defeat the demons that have been chasing him his whole life. Randy also was able to recover from the events of book 3 and become the strong matriarch of the family she was destined to become. 

I'm just simply overwhelmed with this story - from the highs and lows, the sweet soft moments to the intensely terrifying ones, from the laugh-and-shake-my-head to the swoony-melt-my-heart moments - this book delivers it all! From the first pages of Outlaw Hearts to the last pages of The Last Outlaw - Jake Harkner and his Randy and their family will embed themselves deep within your heart and you will refuse to let them go. 

I'm very much looking forward to one of the final glimpses into the Harkner's lives with the Christmas Story that's coming out soon! Jake and his sweet Sadie Mae?? I'm ready! haha!

Love's Sweet Revenge - Rosanne Bittner

Outlaw Hearts book 3

How do you know you've encountered a book that will leave you breathless and satisfied, but yet turn around and make you intensely crave more? When you start re-reading the book before you've even got a third of the way through! And that's what happened to me with the 3rd book in Jake and Randy's story. Seriously, I was re-reading entire chapters and going back through to favorite sections just because I just didn't want to leave that moment in time yet and wanted to make my escape into the Colorado mountains with the Harkners last as long as possible. And it was the best experience! I had a 2 week book hangover from Love's Sweet Revenge and I'm still having a hard time settling into any new books and having them feel "good enough" after this.

I am finding the older I get, the more I seek out and enjoy books written about older characters - whether they're starting over with a new relationship or if they've been together for decades and have some new trials to face together. That's one thing I love about Rosanne Bittner's books - she has this ability to write beautifully epic stories that span all ages and show that love grows more beautiful and strong as the years go by.

Jake Harkner at any age is an incredible force to be reckoned with. I can't tell you how many times I was swoonin' over how his presence flowed out of the book and throughout my house. The intensity he has towards loving and protecting his family is a sight to behold. He has done so much growing and changing - it's been a pleasure to be a part of his journey. I think I've lost a bigger part of my heart to him and not sure I'll ever recover -- or want to! 

Randy still is my heroine soul-mate. I love her mix of strength, sassy, and vulnerability - the way she holds herself together, but yet is dependent on being held in return. She has this natural balance to her that while yes, she can take care of herself, she needs to be taken care of as well, and the people she's surrounded by sense that and give that to her. She in turn gives so much to her husband and family and the bond they all share and continue to mold and solidify is all in thanks to her. I want to be her. 

I love the family dynamic with their kids, Lloyd and Evie, and their spouses and all the grandkids. Family and love is a huge theme and it's definitely shown and developed throughout the entire series, but even more so in LSR. I adored getting to have the 2ndary storylines of Lloyd and Katie, Evie and Brian, and their kids. 

Rosanne Bitter has a way of drawing me so tightly into the story and painting her characters so realistically that for the time I'm reading, I'm fully invested in the story. I feel every emotion the characters are. When they hurt and struggle, I am in pain. When they rejoice, I'm on an excited high. When they play and joke, I'm laughing along with. When the worse happens, I'm feeling as abandoned and lost as they are. Very few authors can give me a new reality, and RB gives her readers that time and time again.

This is not a book to be missed, whether you read this alone, or after Outlaw Hearts and Do Not Forsake Me. Although you definitely will get a better experience if you start at the beginning, you will not be lacking anything if you jump in with this book first (and then go back and get the others, of course!). I am looking forward to many rereads of the first three books and am already getting anxious waiting for The Last Outlaw (book 4) coming Sept 2017. Thank goodness there's another story coming because my craving for more will finally hopefully be satisfied. (ha!)

Do Not Forsake Me - Rosanne Bittner

Outlaw Hearts book 2



I can still see the bookshelf in the library when I was a teen and pulling down a worn copy of Outlaw Hearts by Rosanne Bittner. It was the first adult romance book I remember reading. And from that moment, Jake and Randy have always been a constant favorite; Jake being someone I compare other heroes to. I was thrilled to discover when Outlaw Hearts would be released in Kindle format, Rosanne would also be releasing a sequel (Do Not Forsake Me) and then shortly after that, it was announced a 3rd book to make a Jake trilogy would be released. I was over the top excited to get more of Jake and Randy's story!

Once I got started reading Do Not Forsake Me, I struggled with putting it down... I just *had* to know what happened next! And what a ride I took! *swoon* Between feeling the intense love and desire and possession from Jake, the sweet enduring love and devotion and strength from Randy, the giggles from Little Jake, the nail-biting-edge-of-my-seat overwhelming feels from the adventures and trials and scares.... I was all over the place and loving every second! There's so much good feels that if I really tried to explain how much I loved this story, I'd be giving it all away. You just have to read it for yourself and fall in love with them too!

"Who do you belong to?"
"Jake Harkner."
"You bet your ass. I own every beautiful inch of you."
"And I own you, Jake Harkner."*swoon* 

This is definitely Jake's story - healing, forgiveness, redemption, beauty. 

The ending was perfect in that you know it is a HEA for now, but you also know which door is open for the last book (Love's Sweet Revenge) in the trilogy. There's just a bit more to work through before Jake, Randy, and the kids and grandkids all get their forever HEA. 

Thank you, Ms. Rosanne, for the escape you provided with Jake and Randy - I love them even more now than before. And I'll anxiously but patiently wait till September 2016 for Love's Sweet Revenge!

Outlaw Hearts - Rosanne Bittner

Outlaw Hearts book 1

I read this book a long time ago as a young teen, loving the story then, and recently decided to try to find the book and re-read it again... and let me tell you - I fell in love with Jake and Randy all over again!!! While I have found several favorite books over the years, Jake and Randy's story will always remain at the top!

Rosanne Bittner has a way of weaving a story into your heart so that you can't help but love the characters and feel like you truly know them! I love that their story wasn't just about them meeting, falling in love, then getting married at the end with a quick-peek epilogue into their future. She takes us through 20+ years of marriage, and introduces grandkids, making the story (to me) feel so much more complete! I love how not only we saw good times for them, but we also get to experience the real struggles that they faced together - and how their love was able to push through it all!

I didn't realize until "meeting" several of Rosanne Bittner's heros how one could "fall in love" with a fictional hero - but Jake definitely "stole" a part of my heart. And Randy - well, I'll just say that I'd love to have her strength and attitude!

This is one of Rosanne Bittner's stories you don't wanna miss!!!

Reread June/July 2015 for Do Not Forsake Me's release. Still over the top in love with Jake and Randy!

The original cover that I still love too! :)

Wildest Dreams by Rosanne Bittner

I'm loving that Rosanne Bittner is starting to put her older novels out in kindle format - and I hope she continues because she writes some of the best historical romance novels I've found! I only read a couple of her books way back when and it wasn't until this year that I rediscovered her and was thrilled to read Wildest Dreams!

One reviewer mentioned that this wasn't much of a romance novel - and I'd have to disagree. Yes, it isn't the typical story where most of the book is dedicated to the falling in love part and ends at the wedding with an epilogue glimpse into the future. You do get to experience the falling-in-love part, however, this book spends most of the time focusing on their lives from the wedding on - and the romance and how their love grows through the years. Trust me, the romance is there and honestly, I enjoy experiencing books where the story continues way past the wedding. That's where true love is forged in steel and where romance blooms to it's fullest. Luke and Lettie are two of my favorite RB characters and this book will always remain on my keeper shelf! How they work together to build their family and cattle-empire and what they face to make those dreams come true will keep you enthralled from the first sentence to the last page!

Thunder on the Plains by Rosanne Bittner

I was so excited to find a couple of Rosanne Bittner's older books were coming out on kindle (I sure hope more keep coming!) and grabbed this one. I thought it sounded familiar (like I must have read it years ago), but it was foggy enough in my mind I got lost in it like I would any new-to-me book.

I loved this story and how Sunny and Colt meet and keep finding each other. My only complaint is that I wish it didn't take them so long to finally get and stay together... but anything worth having is worth waiting for, right??? :)

Keep these oldies-but-goodies coming! These are the kind of darn good stories we want to read/see today!